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  #1  
Old 01/04/2008, 09:33 AM
Ronny#66 Ronny#66 is offline
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Subzero shipping of live aquaria

It's below - temperatures here in Vermont and also in Wisconsin where I plan to purchase a few corals & mushrooms. I am concerned about shipping in winter months even though Liveaquaria quaratees there shipments 14 days after arrival of arrival and also ships next day. What has been your experences shipping this time of year ? How to they keep stock at constant temp ?
  #2  
Old 01/04/2008, 09:42 AM
techreef techreef is offline
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Liveaquaria is consistently one of the, if not the best, shippers of live critters. If you buy from them, they will at least triple-bag the animal, put it in a styrofoam container, and due to the cold weather, add the appropriate number of heat packs in the container with the bagged animal. Last they'll tape the container closed and put it in a box that fits its size exactly, so there is no bumping around between the container and the box. HTH.
  #3  
Old 01/04/2008, 10:00 AM
rafa316 rafa316 is offline
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I can second that, I live in Minnesota and have ordered livestock during winter las year and they are still alive
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  #4  
Old 01/04/2008, 11:22 AM
Ronny#66 Ronny#66 is offline
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Thank you very much Sick of winter already !
  #5  
Old 01/04/2008, 11:44 AM
MalHavoc MalHavoc is offline
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Most good livestock shipping companies will also request that the order by shipped via heated compartment or heated truck. I don't care how many heated packs you put into a container - 24 hours in an unheated airplane cargo hold at 40 thousand feet at this time of year will freeze anything.
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  #6  
Old 01/04/2008, 12:40 PM
MrSquid MrSquid is offline
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Not arguing HOW LiveAquaria packs stuff - but not everything ships from Wisconsin. Unless I've read wrong, some of it ships from California.
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  #7  
Old 01/04/2008, 01:35 PM
Ronny#66 Ronny#66 is offline
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Good point MrSquid:
I was more interested in Liveaquaria from Wis. I guese it's all in the hands of shipper if it was packaged correctly before it left shipper.
  #8  
Old 01/04/2008, 02:11 PM
Nanz Nanz is offline
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I just lost 2 Cardinals in shipping I told the guy it was below freezing and he said they would be fine. Water was ICE cold by the time I got it and the 4 heat packs were still HOT.

This was from a different vendor though, NOT Live Aquaria. I would have ordered from them but what I wanted was not in stock, hehe.
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  #9  
Old 01/04/2008, 02:37 PM
Toddrtrex Toddrtrex is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by Ronny#66
Good point MrSquid:
I was more interested in Liveaquaria from Wis. I guese it's all in the hands of shipper if it was packaged correctly before it left shipper.
I could be wrong, but I believe the "Diver's Den" items are the ones that come from Wisco.
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  #10  
Old 01/04/2008, 03:15 PM
MSU Fan MSU Fan is offline
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Yes, the Diver's Den items are in Wisconsin, and the rest of the live animals ship from California. While they do take what they believe to be the appropriate precautions, in the end I would always request that the package be left at a UPS or Fedex drop off location. That way it is in a warm(er) building until you pick it up. You can usually get it earlier in the day that way too, since you aren't waiting for the truck to go through the delivery route to get to your home. HTH
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  #11  
Old 01/04/2008, 03:28 PM
m2434 m2434 is offline
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I believe aqucultured livestock is also shipped from Wisconsin.
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  #12  
Old 01/04/2008, 03:34 PM
Leafer Leafer is offline
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I also recommend LiveAquaria. Its f'n cold here also. Fedx uses heated trucks. Overnight it and be home for delivery. Frankly I think livestock would do better this way than me driving to the LFS. I've had several winter deliveries and never any issues. Their packaging is impressive.
  #13  
Old 01/04/2008, 09:33 PM
Ronny#66 Ronny#66 is offline
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Thanks for all the different opinions !!
  #14  
Old 01/04/2008, 09:54 PM
Toddrtrex Toddrtrex is offline
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Also, a lot depends on the driver you have. Last winter my FedEx man came to my door dripping wet with sweat. When I asked he why, he said that he had the heat cranked so my package wouldn't get cold in the back of the truck.
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  #15  
Old 01/04/2008, 09:59 PM
Macimage Macimage is offline
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I second pickup at the Fed Ex as soon as they open at 8 am. Sometimes even a few hours may make the difference between an animal pulling through a bad shipping experience or dying.

However, you must remember that at this time of the year many airports are having flight delays and cancellations. Live Aquaria packs very well, however, I would wait until the weather gets a bit better, as they can not control the package once it leaves their facility. I would be just too upset knowing that my fish were sitting in a freezing plane hold on a runway or airport with weather delays. Also, there is no room for error with a misrouted package in this type of weather. In decent weather, an extra day for an unplanned delay or misplaced package can be ok.

Joyce
  #16  
Old 01/04/2008, 10:53 PM
kawicivic kawicivic is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by Toddrtrex
Also, a lot depends on the driver you have. Last winter my FedEx man came to my door dripping wet with sweat. When I asked he why, he said that he had the heat cranked so my package wouldn't get cold in the back of the truck.
this is true... I have heard that Fedex's policy is to leave packages on your doorstep if they have a signature on file (for signature req'd packages)... if someone was dumb enough to leave a "live fish" package i would go ballistic
 

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